Help for those determined to work way through ACA

Help for those determined to work way through ACA

CHAMPAIGN -- Consumers remain frustrated by the Affordable Care Act, but not everyone is throwing up their hands.

CHAMPAIGN -- Consumers remain frustrated by the Affordable Care Act, but not everyone is throwing up their hands. Some are pushing through to get insurance.

About 30,000 people in Illinois tried to sign up through the marketplace, but only 1,300 got through. WCIA-3's Amanda Porterfield spoke with one woman who lost her insurance, but isn't giving up.

She's one of the many people who was dropped from their insurance and wasn't sure what to do next. But, she found help and found out there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Janus Woods wasn't in a hurry to sign up for Affordable Healthcare, but after getting dropped from her insurance, she has no choice.

"I thought, well, great, I will wait until January, February, March. Wait until someone else has been through this process. But, I am going to jump into the fray and maybe I will be one who shines the light and helps somebody else get through."

Champaign County Healthcare Consumers is helping. Woods is one of many learning more about ACA.

"I don't think I could figure it out by myself."

Woods says she's not even considering President Obama's latest announcement which offers people the option to stay with the company which dropped them. Instead, she's searching for a new plan.

"I think a lot of people don't know there's going to be financial assistance, so they're worried about having to purchase insurance and not being able to afford it. That's really been the main concern."

But, advocates hope people stick with it, especially since more than 500,000 in Illinois can get tax credits. The state's Medicaid is also expanding, and in Champaign County, about 15,000 people are eligible.

Woods say she couldn't get through the online glitches and finish the application, but she says she'll keep going until she's covered again.

"I am going to get this worked out and I am going to get something chosen by December 15th and be insured on January 1st."

Across the U.S., only a little more than 106,000 people have made it all the way through to choosing a plan. A small part of the seven million who hoped to enroll by next year.

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